novelhk Chapter 436 Lord Minato's Meaning [1st Update]
Chapter 436 Lord Minato's Meaning [1st Update]
"No, that's not right! It's not Might Guy's Eight Gates!"
Asma immediately rejected this assessment.
Although both are taijutsu techniques that unleash chakra, the way Itada Suke circulates chakra is significantly different from Might Guy's Eight Gates.
The Eight Gates technique involves opening eight "pressure points" within the body that restrict the flow of chakra, forcibly releasing latent chakra. This chakra manifests as a violent green and red color and places a tremendous burden on the user's body.
The light blue chakra on Ita's body, while equally powerful, was more restrained, suggesting that it was not obtained by opening up "pressure points".
"It's not the Eight Gates Formation."
Ita's voice carried a hint of pride.
He gripped the decapitation sword with one hand, slowly raised it, and pointed the tip at Asma.
"This is our Star Country's secret physical technique, 'Seven-Day Breathing Technique'," Ita-suke explained.
"Through a special breathing method, lung capacity is increased in a short period of time, and the activity of cells throughout the body is brought to the extreme, thereby unleashing power, speed and reaction far beyond the ordinary."
He paused, then added, "Although at my current level, I can only activate up to the 'Fifth Level of Activity.' However..."
"Combined with this body that has been enhanced through seven genetic modification surgeries, it should be able to touch the threshold of 'Kage level' in a short time."
Seven gene-editing surgeries?
Asma didn't know what genetic modification was, but the phrase "touching the threshold of shadow" made him hold his breath for a moment.
The Star Kingdom... that country that rose to prominence in just a few years, seems to be conducting some kind of forbidden human experiments?
"Could this be the reason Orochimaru allied with the Land of Stars?"
"Furthermore, judging from the other party's tone, this surgical procedure seems to have matured to the point where it can be applied on a large scale?"
Asma dared not think any further.
Because Ita-suke didn't give Asuma more time to think.
His pale blue chakra suddenly surged!
The chakra rose from his body like a pillar of fire, enveloping him.
The tree branch beneath his feet finally gave way to the force and snapped with a crack, but Itada's body still moved!
His figure left a pale blue afterimage in place, and his true form had already appeared less than a meter in front of Asma.
He gripped the decapitation sword with both hands, the pale blue chakra swirling around its blade flowing like a living thing, emitting a deep hum like the roar of a wild beast.
Then, unleash the simplest sweeping slash!
call--!
Before the blade even arrives, the wind from it has already blown.
The howling wind made it almost impossible for Asma to breathe.
He could see that wherever the blade of the decapitation sword passed, the sword energy caused the air to visibly distort, as if even space itself was about to be cleaved apart by this one strike.
"Never try to take it head-on!"
Asuma's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, his battle instincts screaming a warning.
The power of that strike was beyond what he could withstand.
If you forcibly block with a chakra blade, there will only be one outcome!
The knife shattered, and the man died!
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
In a flash, Asma made the right choice.
His chest bulged high, and then he suddenly opened his mouth.
"call--!"
A large amount of hot tobacco ash mixed with chakra gushed out of Asuma's mouth, instantly enveloping the space within five meters in front of him.
The cigarette ash is extremely hot. Wherever it passes, leaves and branches sizzle and quickly turn black and carbonized upon contact with it.
Ash Pile Burning Technique is a ninjutsu created by Asuma. It is not known for its destructive power, but rather for using hot soot to obscure vision and interfere with breathing, creating opportunities for the user to attack or retreat.
At this moment, this move became Asuma's only chance of survival.
As he exhaled the ash, Asuma's body tumbled backward in a somewhat disheveled manner.
His only goal was to escape the range of that slash as quickly as possible.
Sizzle—!
Almost at the same moment Asuma fell, the pale blue blade cleaved through the billowing ashes.
The scene was horrifying.
As Ita's blade swept across, the hot soot that Asuma spewed out was cut in half by the sharp blade, swirling and disintegrating to both sides.
The blade's momentum didn't wane, and it slashed fiercely at the towering tree behind Asma, which had been nurtured by the birth of the Tree Realm.
A knife.
Just one cut.
More than a dozen giant trees, each requiring several people to encircle, were cut in half.
The cut surfaces are smooth, resembling blocks of tofu.
The giant tree, having lost its support, toppled over with a deafening roar, raising clouds of dust that further obscured the already chaotic battlefield.
Asma rolled several times in the ashes, finally kneeling on one knee on a thick, horizontal branch twenty meters away, his chest heaving violently and his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
He turned around, looking at the area that had been cleared away with a single slash, at the dozen or so giant trees that had crashed to the ground, and at the pale blue figure slowly retracting the decapitation sword in the dust. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
That stab just now...
If you try to take the hit head-on, you'll definitely die!
Asuma gripped the chakra blade tightly, watching the figure slowly emerge from the smoke and dust, looking at Idasuke's eyes, which shone like cold stars under the pale blue chakra, and felt death so close to him.
"They escaped pretty quickly."
Itada emerged from the smoke and dust, his guillotine dragging at his side, the tip of the blade carving a shallow groove in the tree trunk beneath his feet.
His pale blue chakra was still burning, and his eyes were locked on Asuma like a hawk locking onto its prey.
"But how many times can you escape?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Ita-suke's figure vanished from the spot once again.
Asma's pupils suddenly contracted.
…………
boom--!
On another battlefield, the roar was like rolling thunder.
Two figures moved, collided, separated, and collided again at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive between the branches of the giant tree.
Each collision unleashes an astonishing shockwave, shattering all the surrounding leaves and branches.
That was the ultimate showdown of physical skills.
It is a wild symphony of power and speed.
Matt Kai stepped onto the tree trunk, and the thick branches cracked like a spiderweb beneath his feet.
Using the recoil, he shot out like a cannonball, his right leg swinging high like a battle axe, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound, and slashing fiercely at the white figure opposite him.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
"Gentle Fist Technique - Bagua Empty Palm!"
Neji Hyuga neither dodged nor evaded, but instead drew circles in front of his chest with both hands, his palms flowing gently. Just as Guy's whip kick was about to strike, he suddenly thrust out with both palms.
Bang-!
The invisible shockwave collided violently with Kai's whip kick.
There was no explosive clang of metal clashing, only a dull thud like the beating of a drum.
Kai felt a gentle yet incredibly strong force flowing from his leg, like layers of tides, constantly dissipating the power of his kick.
Is it a Gentle Fist technique that injects chakra into the body to disrupt the flow of chakra?
No, that's not right.
Kai keenly noticed that Neji's "Eight Trigrams Empty Palm" was completely different from traditional Gentle Fist.
Traditional Gentle Fist seals an enemy's chakra points by striking pressure points, but Neji's palm strike is more like taking the "gentleness" and "penetration" of Gentle Fist to the extreme, delivering a palm strike from a distance to specifically disrupt the "key points" in the enemy's moves.
Just like now, Neji's palm strike precisely hit the weakest point in the flow of power in Guy's whip kick, effectively neutralizing 70% of the kick's power.
With the remaining 30% of his strength, Neji simply turned sideways, took a step, and spun around to dissipate it.
"What an exhilarating battle!" Kai landed on a tree branch, looking at the composed Neji opposite him, his eyes flashing with admiration.
"By combining the 'softness' of Gentle Fist with the 'hardness' of Taijutsu, you have created a unique fighting style. Neji, you are probably the most successful young member of the Hyuga clan in this generation."
Neji slowly withdrew his palm, his white eyes calmly fixed on Kai, showing no unease despite the praise.
"I've heard my father mention you, Guy-senpai," Neji said, his voice clear as a mountain stream. "He said that you are the strongest taijutsu user in Konoha."
Neji remembered his father mentioning that the Eight Gates was a forbidden technique that even Lord Shura had praised highly.
"But what I don't understand is," he paused, his white eyes slightly serious, "that since you possess such powerful taijutsu, why did you never use the Eight Gates Formation when fighting me? Were you underestimating me?"
"Underestimating you?" Kai shook his head, a complex expression on his face tinged with reminiscence. "No, I have never underestimated any opponent, especially you, Neji."
He took a deep breath and slowly assumed the starting stance for martial arts.
"I know your father, Hizashi-senpai." Kai's voice was a little lower, and his eyes, which always burned with passion, now reflected a hint of the vicissitudes of the past.
"I fought under his command during the Third Shinobi World War. He was a good captain and a good ninja. He was calm, wise, and had extremely high taijutsu skills. He was especially good at mediating conflicts between the different ninja clans in the unit at that time."
Kai's gaze fell on Neji's forehead.
It was smooth and clean there, without the curse mark of a caged bird.
"My father died young. When my comrades and I were on a mission, we encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. To protect me and my comrades, he opened the Eight Gates and died from exhaustion," Guy said slowly, the veins bulging on his clenched fist.
"After my father died, I was immersed in grief for a long time. It was your father, Hizashi-senpai, who took the initiative to find me."
Neji's eyes flickered slightly.
"He said he had seen my father and me train and recognized our efforts. He invited me to the Hyuga branch family to spar with him and guide me in taijutsu techniques." A bitter smile appeared on Kai's lips.
"He even said that after his son is born, he wants to find a teacher who is good at taijutsu for his son. He said he has high hopes for me, believes that I can become a Jonin, and believes that I can become a good teacher."
The air fell into a brief silence at that moment.
Only the distant sounds of explosions, fighting, and the rumble of falling giant trees echoed like background noise.
Neji listened quietly, his white eyes revealing no emotion.
But the hand that was hanging naturally at her side was slightly clenched.
"If that hadn't happened..." Kai's voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the distant noise.
"Perhaps, you really will become my disciple, Neji."
Neji remained silent for a moment.
My father had indeed praised Might Guy's taijutsu skills more than once when I was young. If it weren't for the "Night of Defection," I might have really become his disciple after graduating from the Ninja Academy.
Neji exhaled, then slowly raised his right hand, fingers together, palm facing forward, assuming the starting stance of Gentle Fist.
"But there are no 'what ifs' in reality, Guy-senpai." Neji's voice was filled with unwavering fighting spirit.
"Whether it's my father and me, or the other members of our clan, we are very glad we made that choice."
He paused, his gaze passing over Kai and landing in the distance on the stands belonging to the Hyuga main family.
Unfortunately, the place was already deserted.
At the very first moment of the incident, Hiashi Hyuga, along with his daughter Hanabi, evacuated under the protection of the main family members.
This disappointed Neji somewhat.
He originally intended to have a fair fight with that uncle today, in this "Konoha Crush Plan".
With these eyes that have escaped the confinement of a caged bird, with this body strengthened by five genetic modification surgeries, and with everything I've learned in the six years in the Land of Stars, I will prove myself.
A branch family is no less powerful than the main family!
We made the right choice!
"You're right, there are no 'what ifs' in reality."
Kai's voice pulled Neji back to reality.
He looked up and saw Kai slowly straighten his back, his eyes, which always burned with passion, now radiating an unprecedented seriousness.
"Well then, it's time for me to get serious, Neji!"
Kai clenched his fists, crossed them in front of his chest, and then slowly opened them, assuming a starting stance completely different from before.
A surge of powerful chakra, like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long time, began to slowly awaken and rise from his body.
"My father once said that duels between taijutsu ninjas need no words, no reasons. Fists are the best form of communication."
A bright smile spread across Kai's face.
"So, be careful from now on."
"Eight Gates Formation—"
He took a deep breath, his chest bulging like a bellows.
Inside the body, some invisible "doors" were suddenly opened, one after another.
"Open the door! Open it!"
"Open the door!"
"Open the gate of life!"
"Open the Gate of Injury!"
"Open the door!"
"Jing Gate, open!"
A burst of pale green chakra erupted from Kai's body!
The intensity of that chakra was so great that it scorched and distorted the surrounding air, causing it to vaporize.
The giant tree beneath their feet could not withstand the force and gradually crumbled into pieces.
"open--!!"
As the last "open" was uttered, the pale green chakra around Kai suddenly surged!
The color changed from light green to dark green, and both the quality and quantity were elevated to a completely new level.
A terrifying shockwave emanated from him, spreading outwards and blowing away all the leaves and dust within a five-meter radius, revealing the bare branches below.
The Eight Gates Formation, the sixth gate, the Gate of View!
At this moment, Might Guy, just by standing there, exuded an aura that was enough to make ordinary people feel fear and their legs go weak.
"This is... the Eight Gates..." Neji's Byakugan stared intently at Guy.
In his 'vision', the chakra within Guy's body was like boiling magma, surging and roaring through his meridians at an unprecedented speed and with unprecedented ferocity.
The sheer volume and speed of that chakra meant that each flow placed a tremendous burden on Kai's body, putting his muscles, bones, and internal organs under immense strain.
But correspondingly, this brings about an explosive increase in power.
Speed, power, reaction – a leap forward in all aspects.
"A forbidden taijutsu technique that even Lord Shura praised highly..." Neji slowly exhaled and assumed the starting stance of Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
His eyes, far from showing fear, were instead burning with a fierce fighting spirit.
It's a burning desire to climb and surpass higher peaks.
"I wonder what my body, enhanced through five genetic modification surgeries, is like..."
Neji muttered to himself.
"How long can they hold out?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Kai moved.
In the "View Gate" state, Kai's speed has exceeded the limits of visual capture.
One second he was still twenty meters away, the next second his fist was already in front of Neji.
So fast!
Neji's white pupils suddenly contracted, and he pushed the power of his Byakugan to its limit before he could barely catch a glimpse of the blurry green trail.
"Baguazhang - Reversing Heaven!"
Before he could even think, a massive amount of chakra surged from Neji's pressure points, causing him to spin like a top!
…………
"Huff... huff..."
Deep within the forest, Kakashi leaned against the thick trunk of a giant tree, slowly adjusting his breathing.
His breathing was light and slow, with each inhale taking in only the minimum amount of air, and each exhale lasting more than three seconds.
This is a breathing technique he developed over several years after his battle with the Ibri clan. It can minimize the breathing rate and reduce the risk of being invaded by the atomized bloodline limit.
His left hand held a kunai horizontally in front of him, while his right hand raised the headband covering his left eye, revealing his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan, which scanned every inch of space, every shadow, and every wisp of smoke around him.
This is deep within the towering trees born from the birth of the tree realm.
Above us was a canopy of trees that blocked out the sky, with sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting beams of light, while below us were thick, crisscrossing branches.
It's very quiet.
It was eerily quiet.
Ever since Xuejian used the Tree World Descent technique, the other party suddenly turned into smoke and dissipated into the air, and could no longer be sensed.
But Kakashi knew she was nearby.
The Ibri clan's bloodline limit, "Mist Transformation," allows them to transform their bodies into smoke, blending perfectly with their surroundings, making them undetectable by ordinary sensory ninjutsu.
Moreover, this smoke is not merely a smokescreen, but rather possesses a real offensive capability.
It can enter the enemy's body through the mouth and nose, destroying internal organs from the inside and killing them silently.
Several years ago, when Orochimaru defected, Kakashi had fought against the Ibri clan during the mission to pursue him.
In that battle, he suffered terribly, his internal organs felt as if they were being burned by smoke and fire, and he was in unbearable pain. If it weren't for Yamato, who came looking for Orochimaru, using the excuse of "needing information" to persuade the Ibri clan to spare his life, he probably would have been buried in that cave.
Today, he faces Yukimi, who was trained by the Land of Stars, awakened her Wood Release bloodline limit, and whose strength far surpasses that of Yukimi back then.
rustle……
A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a few withered leaves that rolled along the branches, making a soft rustling sound.
A gentle breeze, carrying a light mist, blew in from the right, with a slightly damp feel.
Kakashi's pupils suddenly contracted. The smoke was very faint, blending into the surroundings, but under the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, a slightly unnatural flow could still be seen.
Almost the instant he sensed something amiss, his body rolled to the left, and at the same time, the kunai in his hand shot out, piercing straight at the wisp of unnatural smoke.
laugh--!
The kunai pierced through the smoke and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind it with a dull thud.
The smoke dissipated, but it did not disappear; instead, it swirled in the air and reformed into a human shape.
Xuejian, with short brown hair and a few freckles on her face, was standing on a branch five meters behind where Kakashi had just been standing. She had one hand on her hip and was watching Kakashi with great interest, a sly smile on her lips.
"Oh dear, you found out?" Xuejian tilted her head, her tone as relaxed as if she were taking a walk in her own backyard.
"As expected of Kakashi, his reaction is really fast."
Kakashi slowly stood up from the ground, took out another kunai from his ninja tool bag with his right hand, and locked his crimson Sharingan on Yukimi, not daring to relax for a moment.
"I have firsthand experience with the Ibri clan's mist-transformation bloodline limit." Kakashi's voice still carried a hint of laziness, but his grip on the kunai did not loosen in the slightest.
"The feeling of having your internal organs scorched by smoke and fire is not pleasant."
Rumble!
A dozen or so large trees not far away were cut down, clearing out a large area.
Kakashi's gaze passed over Yukimi and landed there, where Asuma's battle with Ita-suke, who was wielding the Executioner's Blade, had reached a fever pitch, while in the other side of the forest, Guy and Neji's physical duel was also earth-shattering.
"Speaking of which, Kakashi, would you be interested in... developing your career in our Star Country?" Yukimi suddenly extended an invitation to Kakashi.
Kakashi paused slightly in his grip on the kunai.
He looked up and met Xuejian's eager gaze.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, somewhat confused.
"It means exactly what it says." Xuejian shrugged, her freckles appearing lively as she moved.
"The Land of Stars is in dire need of talent right now. Elite Jonin like you, Kakashi, and Tenzo, who are strong and experienced, are highly sought after wherever you go. Moreover, the Land of Stars offers you excellent treatment."
As she spoke, she winked playfully.
Kakashi simply stared at Yukimi with his eyes downcast.
"Why did you invite me?" Kakashi asked slowly, his voice languid. "Our positions should be clear, right? Although we were friends before, we are enemies now."
"Standing?" Xuejian tilted her head. "Standing can be changed, Kakashi."
"Lord Shura gave us, the people abandoned by the world, a home. She not only gave us strength and dignity, but also cured our bloodline disease." Her eyes shone with a kind of almost pious light.
"In the Land of Stars, there is no discrimination based on bloodline limits, no constraints based on family background. As long as you are strong enough and willing to contribute to this country, you will reap the corresponding rewards."
Xuejian looked at Kakashi and said very seriously, "I think that you and Tianzang should not be trapped in a corrupt place like Konoha. You should have a broader stage and a leader who is more worthy of your loyalty."
Kakashi remained silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, Yukimi." Kakashi's voice was soft, but firm: "But Konoha is my home. Here, there are people I must protect, and a will I must inherit. So..."
He slowly raised his kunai, assuming a fighting stance.
Please don't say things like that again.
Xuejian looked at the determination in Kakashi's eyes and sighed softly.
"I knew it!" She shrugged, her smile returning to its previous slyness. "If I said I was attracted to your good looks and wanted you to be my boyfriend, you definitely wouldn't believe me, would you?"
Kakashi's lips twitched slightly.
He did indeed have feelings for this girl who resembled Nohara Rin. During the darkest period of his life, their brief encounter left him and Yamato with unforgettable moments of carefree joy and relaxation.
They both willingly risked their lives to conceal information about the Ibri clan and Yukimi.
But that was many years ago.
"So, I won't beat around the bush." Xuejian tilted her head and smiled playfully, her tone becoming serious: "Actually, inviting you wasn't my personal idea, but rather..."
"What Lord Minato means."